Informal employment in ASEAN
ASEAN: Informal employment was 245,254 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in ASEAN, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, informal employment in ASEAN stood at 245,254. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in ASEAN peaked at 245,254 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 207,446, in 2005.
ASEAN ranks 24th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Informal employment in ASEAN, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 208,803 | — |
| 2005 | 207,446 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 212,148 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 215,839 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 219,171 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 222,973 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 225,597 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 229,160 | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 230,776 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 231,842 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 232,637 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 231,062 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 230,495 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 230,034 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 229,951 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 229,580 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 226,266 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 227,780 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 233,922 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 238,220 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 239,828 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 241,954 | +0.9% |
| 2026 | 243,726 | +0.7% |
| 2027 | 245,254 | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 214,397 | 207,446 | 222,973 | 6 |
| 2010s | 230,113 | 225,597 | 232,637 | 10 |
| 2020s | 237,119 | 226,266 | 245,254 | 8 |
More work & labour data for ASEAN
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 183,655 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.49 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 364,441 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 11,260 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 34,583 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.59 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.96 (2027)
- Employment 348,045 (2025)
- Employment (ILO modelled estimates) 348,045 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in ASEAN?
- Informal employment in ASEAN was 245,254 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in ASEAN?
- The highest recorded value was 245,254 in 2027.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in ASEAN?
- The lowest recorded value was 207,446 in 2005.
- How does ASEAN rank for informal employment?
- ASEAN ranks 24th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in ASEAN?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ASEAN data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.